A culture gap, lax financial discipline, and the departure of key executives have contributed to the decline of Chrysler since its 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz, former Chrysler president Bob Lutz writes in an update of his 1998 book, "Guts," according to the Detroit News. Now General Motors Corp.'s product czar and North American chairman, Lutz said Chrysler needs to show some intestinal fortitude if it plans to survive and thrive in the hyper-competitive auto industry, the News reported. "When the last chapter is written, the controlling factor in the company's success or failure ... will be how well they showed guts," Lutz wrote in a newly released seven-page epilogue, the News said. In his first wide-ranging public comments since the merger, the father of the PT Cruiser and Dodge Viper ticked off a litany of problems, including culture clashes between Chrysler and Mercedes management, pressure to achieve aggressive sales targets and -- surprise! -- the loss of one Robert Lutz, the News noted.